I am going up to the Ausable this summer, and I dont feel comfortabe going up there with a 4wt 7'6'' Rod. I am shopping for a new rod, but i am undecided on the Line Weight. I am thinking 5,6,or seven, but the guy i buy my rods off of only has a 5wt 8' and a 7wt 9' for sale. I am looking for a rod that can handle a 5 lb Brown Trout (if i ever hook one of those ) but wont take the fun out of hooking a 12 incher. What weight would suit me best?

I don't believe the rod weight has a lot to do with landing fish unless you go to the extremes. The rod weight is more relevant when considering the size fly, amount of weight on your line, and wind and water conditions

I've fished the Ausable, and a 9" 5wt rod would be perfect for that river. That's the rod I used most often there. It is a high gradient river (lots of fast water - real fast). You likely will be using bigger flies and weight or weighted flies. The 5 wt would handle that fine and the 9' length would allow easy mending on a big river. In addition, that is a perfect size and weight rod for fishing in the medium and larger streams in PA, especially during high water conditions.

BTW, don’t believe all the hype from your guide or lodge, the fish up there are generally no bigger than in PA. In fact, this year Mike’s fish (the FBC stocked fish) put the NY fish to shame.

get a nice 9" 5wt in med-fast action. it will make a nice addition to your collection and also be useful in many situations. also practice casting. you should be able to cast that 4wt atleast 40ft with no problems. a good caster can cast all the line on a 4wt. so it really looks like you may have some casting issues. do yourself a favor and get some casting lessons, it will make fishing much more enjoyable. not that you have to cast more than 25' most of the time but you learn to cast much more effortlessly and and to make that long cast when you need it.

afishinado wrote:I don't believe the rod weight has a lot to do with landing fish unless you go to the extremes. The rod weight is more relevant when considering the size fly, amount of weight on your line, and wind and water conditions

I've fished the Ausable, and a 9" 5wt rod would be perfect for that river. That's the rod I used most often there. It is a high gradient river (lots of fast water - real fast). You likely will be using bigger flies and weight or weighted flies. The 5 wt would handle that fine and the 9' length would allow easy mending on a big river. In addition, that is a perfect size and weight rod for fishing in the medium and larger streams in PA, especially during high water conditions.

BTW, don’t believe all the hype from your guide or lodge, the fish up there are generally no bigger than in PA. In fact, this year Mike’s fish (the FBC stocked fish) put the NY fish to shame.

Well, I dont have either of those, but i would assume that the fish are bigger than the 10" trout I usually catch locally, right?

NativeBrookie: "but i would assume that the fish are bigger than the 10" trout I usually catch locally, right?"

I assume you are planning to fish the Ausable in the Lake Placid / Whiteface Mountain area at the 5 mile C&R section. It's a beautiful area and a great looking river. As I posted above, it's one of the fastest flowing rivers I have ever fished. Most of the trout I have caught there were stocked browns and rainbows no different from many of the stocked fish you find in PA. The trout probably averaged 12" with some of the larger ones 16-18".

TCO has a shop near Whiteface Mountain and Fran Betters has a shop just down the road from there. Check with the shops before you go and stop in the shop when you arrive to find out about the river conditions, hatches, flies and techniques to use. Also, the Sarnac River also offers some good fishing and is less crowded. Ask where to fish it at the fly shops.

BTW, In mid June I caught a good hatch of March Browns during the day and sulphurs toward evening. Big black stoneflies fished on the bottom caught the largest fish.

which ausable MI or NY? either one, the avg. fish will be about a foot and just like PA you have a chance to hook a nice fish over 18". a 4wt will handle that, i've caught bigger on a 3wt and i know there are many that have used smaller rods and caught bigger fish. with that said, i'm sure there is no one on this board that would try and talk you out of buying another rod. we are only trying to inform you that it's not the size of the rod that is a deciding factor in landing a fish, it's the skill of the fisherman that handles the rod. with that said, you will have a much more enjoyable time throwing bigger stuff, like weighted streamers, wil a 'bigger' rod. again i would recommend you wait and get a nice 9', 5wt rod in a medium fast action. this would be a nice all around rod that will allow you to throw heavier streamer and small dry flies with ease. as far as which rod that is up to you and your wallet. for my money i would look at scott A2, TFO professional, i've not fished these but have heard good things: sage launch, redington redfly, echo 2, orvis clearwater !!, cabela's stowaway. these are good mid-priced rods that should fit you for many years to come. the best thing to do is go and cast rods yourself, that's the only way to know if the rod fits your casting style. trust me it does make a difference.

Well, the rod I am planning on getting is Lacrosse Custom Axis II Lite. I have one right now (4wt) and I love it. I have not fished with super high end rods, but I would think that this rod would definately compare. It is a custom built rod that a guy on ebay sells. He has sold over 800 and he has a 100% rating. Not to mention, they are only $60-100 and they come with a case. I was skeptical due to the price, but I love these rods!

I've fished that and the Delaware with both 4 wt and 5 wt. Depending on the depth and flow you are generally ok with a 4 but I would never go up without a 5. If you get into a bigger fish in a deep fast run, getting him up without stressing the fish or breaking off is not easy. Those fish tend to dig to the bottom of the deepest hole they can find when hooked. Just my 2 cents. I think you'd be best served with an 8'6" or 9'.